Method and system for wireless communication utilizing leaky wave antennas on a printed circuit board

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for wireless communication utilizing leaky wave antennas (LWAs) on a printed circuit board are disclosed and may include communicating RF signals via LWAs in an integrated circuit (chip) and/or package in a wireless device to LWAs in a printed circuit board in the wireless device. RF signals may then be communicated via the LWAs in the printed circuit board to external devices, and may communicated vertically or at a desired angle from the surface. The RF signals may be communicated between regions within the printed circuit board. The LWAs may include microstrip or coplanar waveguides where a cavity height of the LWAs may be configured by controlling spacing between conductive lines in the waveguides. The chip may be flip-chip-bonded to an package which may be affixed to a printed circuit board. A pair of the plurality of LWAs may be stacked to communicate signals in opposite directions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application makes reference to, claims the benefit from, and claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/246,618 filed onSep. 29, 2009, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/185,245filed on Jun. 9, 2009.

This application also makes reference to:

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,212 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,295 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,277 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,192 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,224 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,176 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,246 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,292 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/650,324 filed on Dec. 30, 2009;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/708,366 filed on Feb. 18, 2010;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21202US02)filed on even date herewith;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21203US02)filed on even date herewith;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21206US02)filed on even date herewith;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21207US02)filed on even date herewith;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21208US02)filed on even date herewith;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21213US02)filed on even date herewith;U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21218US02)filed on even date herewith; andU.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 21220US02)filed on even date herewith.

Each of the above stated applications is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[Not Applicable]

MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE

[Not Applicable]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention relate to wireless communication.More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention relate to amethod and system for wireless communication utilizing leaky waveantennas on a printed circuit board.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Mobile communications have changed the way people communicate and mobilephones have been transformed from a luxury item to an essential part ofevery day life. The use of mobile phones is today dictated by socialsituations, rather than hampered by location or technology. While voiceconnections fulfill the basic need to communicate, and mobile voiceconnections continue to filter even further into the fabric of every daylife, the mobile Internet is the next step in the mobile communicationrevolution. The mobile Internet is poised to become a common source ofeveryday information, and easy, versatile mobile access to this datawill be taken for granted.

As the number of electronic devices enabled for wireline and/or mobilecommunications continues to increase, significant efforts exist withregard to making such devices more power efficient. For example, a largepercentage of communications devices are mobile wireless devices andthus often operate on battery power. Additionally, transmit and/orreceive circuitry within such mobile wireless devices often account fora significant portion of the power consumed within these devices.Moreover, in some conventional communication systems, transmittersand/or receivers are often power inefficient in comparison to otherblocks of the portable communication devices. Accordingly, thesetransmitters and/or receivers have a significant impact on battery lifefor these mobile wireless devices.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditionalapproaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, throughcomparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth inthe remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system and/or method for wireless communication utilizing leaky waveantennas on a printed circuit board as shown in and/or described inconnection with at least one of the figures, as set forth morecompletely in the claims.

Various advantages, aspects and novel features of the present invention,as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be morefully understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless system with leakywave antennas integrated on printed circuit boards, which may beutilized in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary leaky wave antenna,in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a plan view of exemplarypartially reflective surfaces for a leaky wave antenna, in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary phase dependence ofa leaky wave antenna, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary in-phase andout-of-phase beam shapes for a leaky wave antenna, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a leaky wave antenna withvariable input impedance feed points, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view ofcoplanar and microstrip waveguides, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating wireless communication via leaky waveantennas integrated in a printed circuit board, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary steps for communicatingvia leaky wave antennas integrated in a printed circuit board, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain aspects of the invention may be found in a method and system forwireless communication utilizing leaky wave antennas (LWAs) on a printedcircuit board. Exemplary aspects of the invention may comprisecommunicating RF signals via one or more leaky wave antennas in anintegrated circuit and/or an integrated circuit package in a wirelessdevice to one or more leaky wave antennas in a printed circuit board inthe wireless device. RF signals may then be communicated via the one ormore leaky wave antennas in the printed circuit board to devicesexternal to the wireless device. The RF signals may be communicated todevices external to the wireless device via a surface of the printedcircuit board. The leaky wave antennas may be configured to transmit thewireless signals at a desired angle from the surface of the printedcircuit board. The RF signals may be communicated between regions withinthe printed circuit board. The leaky wave antennas may comprisemicrostrip waveguides where a cavity height of the leaky wave antennasmay be configured by controlling spacing between conductive lines in themicrostrip waveguides. The leaky wave antennas may comprise coplanarwaveguides where a cavity height of the leaky wave antennas may beconfigured by controlling spacing between conductive lines in thecoplanar waveguides. The integrated circuit may be flip-chip-bonded toan integrated circuit package which may be affixed to a printed circuitboard. A pair of the plurality of leaky wave antennas may be stacked tocommunicate signals in opposite directions.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless system with leakywave antennas integrated on printed circuit boards, which may beutilized in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring toFIG. 1, the wireless device 150 may comprise an antenna 151, atransceiver 152, a baseband processor 154, a processor 156, a systemmemory 158, a logic block 160, a chip 162, leaky wave antennas164A-164C, switches 165A-165C, an external headset port 166, and apackage 167. The wireless device 150 may also comprise an analogmicrophone 168, integrated hands-free (IHF) stereo speakers 170, aprinted circuit board 171, a hearing aid compatible (HAC) coil 174, adual digital microphone 176, a vibration transducer 178, a keypad and/ortouchscreen 180, and a display 182.

The transceiver 152 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interface(s), and/or code that may be enabled to modulate and upconvertbaseband signals to RF signals for transmission by one or more antennas,which may be represented generically by the antenna 151. The transceiver152 may also be enabled to downconvert and demodulate received RFsignals to baseband signals. The RF signals may be received by one ormore antennas, which may be represented generically by the antenna 151,or the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C. Different wireless systems may usedifferent antennas for transmission and reception. The transceiver 152may be enabled to execute other functions, for example, filtering thebaseband and/or RF signals, and/or amplifying the baseband and/or RFsignals. Although a single transceiver 152 is shown, the invention isnot so limited. Accordingly, the transceiver 152 may be implemented as aseparate transmitter and a separate receiver. In addition, there may bea plurality of transceivers, transmitters and/or receivers. In thisregard, the plurality of transceivers, transmitters and/or receivers mayenable the wireless device 150 to handle a plurality of wirelessprotocols and/or standards including cellular, WLAN and PAN. Wirelesstechnologies handled by the wireless device 150 may comprise GSM, CDMA,CDMA2000, WCDMA, GMS, GPRS, EDGE, WIMAX, WLAN, 3GPP, UMTS, BLUETOOTH,and ZigBee, for example.

The baseband processor 154 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interface(s), and/or code that may be enabled to process basebandsignals for transmission via the transceiver 152 and/or the basebandsignals received from the transceiver 152. The processor 156 may be anysuitable processor or controller such as a CPU, DSP, ARM, or any type ofintegrated circuit processor. The processor 156 may comprise suitablelogic, circuitry, and/or code that may be enabled to control theoperations of the transceiver 152 and/or the baseband processor 154. Forexample, the processor 156 may be utilized to update and/or modifyprogrammable parameters and/or values in a plurality of components,devices, and/or processing elements in the transceiver 152 and/or thebaseband processor 154. At least a portion of the programmableparameters may be stored in the system memory 158.

Control and/or data information, which may comprise the programmableparameters, may be transferred from other portions of the wirelessdevice 150, not shown in FIG. 1, to the processor 156. Similarly, theprocessor 156 may be enabled to transfer control and/or datainformation, which may include the programmable parameters, to otherportions of the wireless device 150, not shown in FIG. 1, which may bepart of the wireless device 150.

The processor 156 may utilize the received control and/or datainformation, which may comprise the programmable parameters, todetermine an operating mode of the transceiver 152. For example, theprocessor 156 may be utilized to select a specific frequency for a localoscillator, a specific gain for a variable gain amplifier, configure thelocal oscillator and/or configure the variable gain amplifier foroperation in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.Moreover, the specific frequency selected and/or parameters needed tocalculate the specific frequency, and/or the specific gain value and/orthe parameters, which may be utilized to calculate the specific gain,may be stored in the system memory 158 via the processor 156, forexample. The information stored in system memory 158 may be transferredto the transceiver 152 from the system memory 158 via the processor 156.

The system memory 158 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interface(s), and/or code that may be enabled to store a plurality ofcontrol and/or data information, including parameters needed tocalculate frequencies and/or gain, and/or the frequency value and/orgain value. The system memory 158 may store at least a portion of theprogrammable parameters that may be manipulated by the processor 156.

The logic block 160 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interface(s), and/or code that may enable controlling of variousfunctionalities of the wireless device 150. For example, the logic block160 may comprise one or more state machines that may generate signals tocontrol the transceiver 152 and/or the baseband processor 154. The logicblock 160 may also comprise registers that may hold data forcontrolling, for example, the transceiver 152 and/or the basebandprocessor 154. The logic block 160 may also generate and/or store statusinformation that may be read by, for example, the processor 156.Amplifier gains and/or filtering characteristics, for example, may becontrolled by the logic block 160.

The BT radio/processor 163 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,interface(s), and/or code that may enable transmission and reception ofBluetooth signals. The BT radio/processor 163 may enable processingand/or handling of BT baseband signals. In this regard, the BTradio/processor 163 may process or handle BT signals received and/or BTsignals transmitted via a wireless communication medium. The BTradio/processor 163 may also provide control and/or feedback informationto/from the baseband processor 154 and/or the processor 156, based oninformation from the processed BT signals. The BT radio/processor 163may communicate information and/or data from the processed BT signals tothe processor 156 and/or to the system memory 158. Moreover, the BTradio/processor 163 may receive information from the processor 156and/or the system memory 158, which may be processed and transmitted viathe wireless communication medium a Bluetooth headset, for example

The CODEC 172 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, interface(s),and/or code that may process audio signals received from and/orcommunicated to input/output devices. The input devices may be within orcommunicatively coupled to the wireless device 150, and may comprise theanalog microphone 168, the stereo speakers 170, the hearing aidcompatible (HAC) coil 174, the dual digital microphone 176, and thevibration transducer 178, for example. The CODEC 172 may be operable toup-convert and/or down-convert signal frequencies to desired frequenciesfor processing and/or transmission via an output device. The CODEC 172may enable utilizing a plurality of digital audio inputs, such as 16 or18-bit inputs, for example. The CODEC 172 may also enable utilizing aplurality of data sampling rate inputs. For example, the CODEC 172 mayaccept digital audio signals at sampling rates such as 8 kHz, 11.025kHz, 12 kHz, 16 kHz, 22.05 kHz, 24 kHz, 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, and/or 48 kHz.The CODEC 172 may also support mixing of a plurality of audio sources.For example, the CODEC 172 may support audio sources such as generalaudio, polyphonic ringer, I²S FM audio, vibration driving signals, andvoice. In this regard, the general audio and polyphonic ringer sourcesmay support the plurality of sampling rates that the audio CODEC 172 isenabled to accept, while the voice source may support a portion of theplurality of sampling rates, such as 8 kHz and 16 kHz, for example.

The chip 162 may comprise an integrated circuit with multiple functionalblocks integrated within, such as the transceiver 152, the processor156, the baseband processor 154, the BT radio/processor 163, and theCODEC 172. The number of functional blocks integrated in the chip 162 isnot limited to the number shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, any number ofblocks may be integrated on the chip 162 depending on chip space andwireless device 150 requirements, for example. The chip 162 may beflip-chip bonded, for example, to the package 167, as described furtherwith respect to FIG. 8.

The leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may comprise a resonant cavity with ahighly reflective surface and a lower reflectivity surface, and may beintegrated in and/or on the chip 162, the package 167, and/or theprinted circuit board 171. The lower reflectivity surface may allow theresonant mode to “leak” out of the cavity. The lower reflectivitysurface of the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may be configured withslots in a metal surface, or a pattern of metal patches, as describedfurther in FIGS. 2 and 3. The physical dimensions of the leaky waveantennas 164A-164C may be configured to optimize bandwidth oftransmission and/or the beam pattern radiated. By integrating the leakywave antennas 164C on the printed circuit board 171, high frequencywireless signals may be communicated from devices in the chip 162 and/orthe package 167 to external devices or systems via the printed circuitboard 171.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the leaky wave antennas164A-164C may comprise a plurality of leaky wave antennas integrated inand/or on the chip 162, the package 167, and/or printed circuit board171. The leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may be operable to transmitand/or receive wireless signals at or near 60 GHz, for example, due tothe cavity length of the devices being on the order of millimeters. Theleaky wave antennas 164A-164C may be configured to transmit in differentdirections, including in the lateral direction parallel to the surfaceof the chip 162, the package 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171,thereby enabling communication between regions of the chip 162, thepackage 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171.

The switches 165A-165C may comprise switches such as CMOS or MEMSswitches that may be operable to switch different antennas of the leakywave antennas 164A-164C to the transceiver 152 and/or to switch elementsin and/or out of the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C, such as the patchesand slots described in FIG. 3. In another embodiment of the invention,the switches 165A-165C may comprise MEMS devices that enable MEMSactuation of reflective surfaces in the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C.Accordingly, the resonant frequency and/or the angle of transmissionand/or reception may be configured for the leaky wave antennas164A-164C.

The external headset port 166 may comprise a physical connection for anexternal headset to be communicatively coupled to the wireless device150. The analog microphone 168 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,interface(s), and/or code that may detect sound waves and convert themto electrical signals via a piezoelectric effect, for example. Theelectrical signals generated by the analog microphone 168 may compriseanalog signals that may require analog to digital conversion beforeprocessing.

The package 167 may comprise a ceramic package, a printed circuit board,or other support structure for the chip 162 and other components of thewireless device 150. In this regard, the chip 162 may be bonded to thepackage 167. The package 167 may comprise insulating and conductivematerial, for example, and may provide isolation between electricalcomponents mounted on the package 167.

The printed circuit board 171 may comprise an essentially electricallyinsulating material with conductive traces integrated within and/or onthe surface for the interconnection of devices affixed to the printedcircuit board 171. For example, the package 167 may be affixed to theprinted circuit board 171 utilizing flip-chip bonding. In addition, theleaky wave antennas 164C and the switches 165C may be integrated inand/or on the printed circuit board 171 to enable communication of RFsignals between the printed circuit board 171 and devices in the chip162 and the package 167. The number of devices on the printed circuitboard 171 is not limited to the number shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, anynumber of chips, packages, and other devices may be integrated,depending on space requirements and desired functionality.

The stereo speakers 170 may comprise a pair of speakers that may beoperable to generate audio signals from electrical signals received fromthe CODEC 172. The HAC coil 174 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,and/or code that may enable communication between the wireless device150 and a T-coil in a hearing aid, for example. In this manner,electrical audio signals may be communicated to a user that utilizes ahearing aid, without the need for generating sound signals via aspeaker, such as the stereo speakers 170, and converting the generatedsound signals back to electrical signals in a hearing aid, andsubsequently back into amplified sound signals in the user's ear, forexample.

The dual digital microphone 176 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,interface(s), and/or code that may be operable to detect sound waves andconvert them to electrical signals. The electrical signals generated bythe dual digital microphone 176 may comprise digital signals, and thusmay not require analog to digital conversion prior to digital processingin the CODEC 172. The dual digital microphone 176 may enable beamformingcapabilities, for example.

The vibration transducer 178 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,interface(s), and/or code that may enable notification of an incomingcall, alerts and/or message to the wireless device 150 without the useof sound. The vibration transducer may generate vibrations that may bein synch with, for example, audio signals such as speech or music.

In operation, control and/or data information, which may comprise theprogrammable parameters, may be transferred from other portions of thewireless device 150, not shown in FIG. 1, to the processor 156.Similarly, the processor 156 may be enabled to transfer control and/ordata information, which may include the programmable parameters, toother portions of the wireless device 150, not shown in FIG. 1, whichmay be part of the wireless device 150.

The processor 156 may utilize the received control and/or datainformation, which may comprise the programmable parameters, todetermine an operating mode of the transceiver 152. For example, theprocessor 156 may be utilized to select a specific frequency for a localoscillator, a specific gain for a variable gain amplifier, configure thelocal oscillator and/or configure the variable gain amplifier foroperation in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.Moreover, the specific frequency selected and/or parameters needed tocalculate the specific frequency, and/or the specific gain value and/orthe parameters, which may be utilized to calculate the specific gain,may be stored in the system memory 158 via the processor 156, forexample. The information stored in system memory 158 may be transferredto the transceiver 152 from the system memory 158 via the processor 156.

The CODEC 172 in the wireless device 150 may communicate with theprocessor 156 in order to transfer audio data and control signals.Control registers for the CODEC 172 may reside within the processor 156.The processor 156 may exchange audio signals and control information viathe system memory 158. The CODEC 172 may up-convert and/or down-convertthe frequencies of multiple audio sources for processing at a desiredsampling rate.

The leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may be operable to transmit and/orreceive wireless signals between the chip 162, the package 167, and theprinted circuit board 171. Resonant cavities may be configured betweenreflective surfaces in and/or on the chip 162, the package 167, and/orthe printed circuit board 171 so that signals may be transmitted and/orreceived from any location without requiring large areas needed forconventional antennas and associated circuitry. Coplanar waveguidestructures may be utilized to enable the communication of signals in thehorizontal direction within the chip 162, the package 167, and/or theprinted circuit board 171.

High frequency signals may be communicated to the leaky wave antennas164C from devices in the chip 162 and/or the package 167 forcommunication to devices on other printed circuit boards and/or todevices external to the wireless device 150. The signals may becommunicated to the leaky wave antennas 164C via other leaky waveantennas, such as the leaky wave antennas 164A and/or 164B.

The cavity height of the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may be configuredto control the frequency of the signals that may be transmitted and/orreceived. Accordingly, the reflective surfaces may be controlled toprovide different heights in the chip 162, the package 167, and/or theprinted circuit board 171, thereby configuring leaky wave antennas withdifferent resonant frequencies.

The leaky wave antennas 164A may be operable to transmit and/or receivesignals to and from the chip 162. In this manner, high frequency tracesto an external antenna, such as the leaky wave antennas 164C, may bereduced and/or eliminated for higher frequency signals.

Different frequency signals may be transmitted and/or received by theleaky wave antennas 164A-164C by selectively coupling the transceiver152 to leaky wave antennas with different cavity heights. For example, aleaky wave antenna with reflective surfaces on the top and the bottom ofthe printed circuit board 171 may have the largest cavity height, andthus provide the lowest resonant frequency. Conversely, a leaky waveantenna with both reflective surfaces in the same plane of the chip 162,as in a coplanar waveguide configuration, for example, may provide ahigher resonant frequency.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary leaky wave antenna,in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 2,there is shown the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C comprising a partiallyreflective surface 201A, a reflective surface 201B, and a feed point203. The space between the partially reflective surface 201A and thereflective surface 201B may be filled with dielectric material, forexample, and the height, h, between the partially reflective surface201A and the reflective surface 201B may be utilized to configure thefrequency of transmission of the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C. Inanother embodiment of the invention, an air gap may be integrated in thespace between the partially reflective surface 201A and the reflectivesurface 201B to enable MEMS actuation. There is also shown(micro-electromechanical systems) MEMS bias voltages, +V_(MEMS) and−V_(MEMS).

The feed point 203 may comprise an input terminal for applying an inputvoltage to the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C. The invention is notlimited to a single feed point 203, as there may be any amount of feedpoints for different phases of signal or a plurality of signal sources,for example, to be applied to the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C.

In an embodiment of the invention, the height, h, may be one-half thewavelength of the desired transmitted mode from the leaky wave antennas164A-164C. In this manner, the phase of an electromagnetic mode thattraverses the cavity twice may be coherent with the input signal at thefeed point 203, thereby configuring a resonant cavity known as aFabry-Perot cavity. The magnitude of the resonant mode may decayexponentially in the lateral direction from the feed point 203, therebyreducing or eliminating the need for confinement structures to the sidesof the leaky wave antennas 164. The input impedance of the leaky waveantennas 164A-164C may be configured by the vertical placement of thefeed point 203, as described further in FIG. 6.

In operation, a signal to be transmitted via a power amplifier in thetransceiver 152 may be communicated to the feed point 203 of the leakywave antennas 164A-164C with a frequency f. The cavity height, h, may beconfigured to correlate to one half the wavelength of a harmonic of thesignal of frequency f. The signal may traverse the height of the cavityand may be reflected by the partially reflective surface 201A, and thentraverse the height back to the reflective surface 201B. Since the wavewill have traveled a distance corresponding to a full wavelength,constructive interference may result and a resonant mode may thereby beestablished.

Leaky wave antennas may enable the configuration of high gain antennaswithout the need for a large array of antennas which require a complexfeed network and suffer from loss due to feed lines. The leaky waveantennas 164A-164C may be operable to transmit and/or receive wirelesssignals via conductive layers in and/or on chip 162, the package 167,and the printed circuit board 171. In this manner, the resonantfrequency of the cavity may cover a wider range due to the larger sizeof the printed circuit board 171 and the package 167, compared to thechip 162, without requiring large areas needed for conventional antennasand associated circuitry.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the frequency oftransmission and/or reception of the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C maybe configured by selecting one of the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C withthe appropriate cavity height for the desired frequency. Leaky waveantennas integrated on the chip 162, the package 167, and/or the printedcircuit board 171 may comprise coplanar waveguide structures, either ona surface and/or integrated within the chip 162, such that wirelesssignals may be communicated in a horizontal direction, enabling wirelesscommunication between regions of the chip 162. Additionally, leaky waveantennas may be integrated with the direction of the leaked signalcoming out of the surface of the chip 162, the package 167, and/or theprinted circuit board 171, thereby enabling communication between thechip 162 and external devices on the package 167, the printed circuitboard 171, and/or other external devices.

In another embodiment of the invention, the cavity height, h, may beconfigured by MEMS actuation. For example, the bias voltages +V_(MEMS)and −V_(MEMS) may deflect one or both of the reflective surfaces 201Aand 201B compared to zero bias, thereby configuring the resonantfrequency of the cavity.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a plan view of exemplarypartially reflective surfaces for a leaky wave antenna, in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3, there is showna partially reflective surface 300 comprising periodic slots in a metalsurface, and a partially reflective surface 320 comprising periodicmetal patches. The partially reflective surfaces 300/320 may comprisedifferent embodiments of the partially reflective surface 201A describedwith respect to FIG. 2.

The spacing, dimensions, shape, and orientation of the slots and/orpatches in the partially reflective surfaces 300/320 may be utilized toconfigure the bandwidth, and thus Q-factor, of the resonant cavitydefined by the partially reflective surfaces 300/320 and a reflectivesurface, such as the reflective surface 201B, described with respect toFIG. 2. The partially reflective surfaces 300/320 may thus comprisefrequency selective surfaces due to the narrow bandwidth of signals thatmay leak out of the structure as configured by the slots and/or patches.

The spacing between the patches and/or slots may be related towavelength of the signal transmitted and/or received, which may besomewhat similar to beamforming with multiple antennas. The length ofthe slots and/or patches may be several times larger than the wavelengthof the transmitted and/or received signal or less, for example, sincethe leakage from the slots and/or regions surround the patches may addup, similar to beamforming with multiple antennas.

In an embodiment of the invention, the slots/patches may be configuredvia CMOS and/or micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) switches, such asthe switches 165 described with respect to FIG. 1, to tune the Q of theresonant cavity. The slots and/or patches may be configured inconductive layers in and/or on the chip 162 and may be shorted togetheror switched open utilizing the switches 165. In this manner, RF signals,such as 60 GHz signals, for example, may be transmitted from variouslocations in the chip 162 without the need for additional circuitry andconventional antennas with their associated circuitry that requirevaluable chip space.

In another embodiment of the invention, the slots or patches may beconfigured in conductive layers in a vertical plane of the printedcircuit board 171, thereby enabling the communication of wirelesssignals in a horizontal direction in the printed circuit board 171. Forexample, grids of alternating conductive and insulating material may beintegrated in a vertical plane, perpendicular to the surface of theprinted circuit board 171, thereby enabling the horizontal transmissionof RF signals.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary phase dependence ofa leaky wave antenna, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a leaky wave antenna comprising thepartially reflective surface 201A, the reflective surface 201B, and thefeed point 203. In-phase condition 400 illustrates the relative beamshape transmitted by the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C when thefrequency of the signal communicated to the feed point 203 matches thatof the resonant cavity as defined by the cavity height, h, and thedielectric constant of the material between the reflective surfaces.

Similarly, out-of-phase condition 420 illustrates the relative beamshape transmitted by the leaky wave antenna 164A-164C when the frequencyof the signal communicated to the feed point 203 does not match that ofthe resonant cavity. The resulting beam shape may be conical, as opposedto a single main vertical node. These are illustrated further withrespect to FIG. 5. The leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may be integratedat various heights in the chip 162, the package 167, and the printedcircuit board 171, thereby providing a plurality of transmission andreception sites in the chip 162, the package 167, and/or the printedcircuit board 171 with varying resonant frequency. In addition, acoplanar structure may be utilized to configure leaky wave antennas inthe chip 162, the package 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171,thereby enabling communication of wireless signals in the horizontalplane of the structure.

By configuring the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C for in-phase andout-of-phase conditions, signals possessing different characteristicsmay be directed out of the chip 162, the package 167, and/or printedcircuit board 171 in desired directions. In an exemplary embodiment ofthe invention, the angle at which signals may be transmitted by a leakywave antenna may be dynamically controlled so that signal may bedirected to desired receiving leaky wave antennas. In another embodimentof the invention, the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C may be operable toreceive RF signals, such as 60 GHz signals, for example. The directionin which the signals are received may be configured by the in-phase andout-of-phase conditions.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary in-phase andout-of-phase beam shapes for a leaky wave antenna, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a plot500 of transmitted signal beam shape versus angle, Θ, for the in-phaseand out-of-phase conditions for a leaky wave antenna.

The In-phase curve in the plot 500 may correlate to the case where thefrequency of the signal communicated to a leaky wave antenna matches theresonant frequency of the cavity. In this manner, a single vertical mainnode may result. In instances where the frequency of the signal at thefeed point is not at the resonant frequency, a double, or conical-shapednode may be generated as shown by the Out-of-phase curve in the plot500. By configuring the leaky wave antennas for in-phase andout-of-phase conditions, signals may be directed out of the chip 162,the package 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171 in desireddirections.

In another embodiment of the invention, the leaky wave antennas164A-164C may be operable to receive wireless signals, and may beconfigured to receive from a desired direction via the in-phase andout-of-phase configurations.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a leaky wave antenna withvariable input impedance feed points, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention. Referring to FIG. 6, there is shown a leaky waveantenna 600 comprising the partially reflective surface 201A and thereflective surface 201B. There is also shown feed points 601A-601C. Thefeed points 601A-601C may be located at different positions along theheight, h, of the cavity thereby configuring different impedance pointsfor the leaky wave antenna.

In this manner, a leaky wave antenna may be utilized to couple to aplurality of power amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers, and/or othercircuitry with varying output or input impedances. Similarly, byintegrating leaky wave antennas in conductive layers in the chip 162,the package 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171, the impedance ofthe leaky wave antenna may be matched to the power amplifier orlow-noise amplifier without impedance variations that may result withconventional antennas and their proximity or distance to associateddriver electronics. Similarly, by integrating reflective and partiallyreflective surfaces with varying cavity heights and varying feed points,leaky wave antennas with different impedances and resonant frequenciesmay be enabled.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view ofcoplanar and microstrip waveguides, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention. Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown a microstripwaveguide 720 and a coplanar waveguide 730. The microstrip waveguide 720may comprise signal conductive lines 723, a ground plane 725, a gap711A, an insulating layer 727 and a substrate 729. The coplanarwaveguide 730 may comprise signal conductive lines 731 and 733, a gap711B, the insulating layer 727, and the support structure 701. Thesupport structure 701 may comprise the chip 162, the package 167, and/orthe printed circuit board 171.

The signal conductive lines 723, 731, and 733 may comprise metal tracesor layers deposited in and/or on the insulating layer 727. In anotherembodiment of the invention, the signal conductive lines 723, 731, and733 may comprise poly-silicon or other conductive material. Theseparation and the voltage potential between the signal conductive line723 and the ground plane 725 may determine the electric field generatedtherein. In addition, the dielectric constant of the insulating layer727 and the air gap 711A may also determine the electric field betweenthe signal conductive line 723 and the ground plane 725.

The insulating layer 727 may comprise SiO₂ or other insulating materialthat may provide a high resistance layer between the signal conductiveline 723 and the ground plane 725, and the signal conductive lines 731and 733. In addition, the electric field between the signal conductiveline 723 and the ground plane 725 may be dependent on the dielectricconstant of the insulating layer 727.

The thickness and the dielectric constant of the insulating layer 727may determine the electric field strength generated by the appliedsignal. The resonant cavity thickness of a leaky wave antenna may bedependent on the spacing between the signal conductive line 723 and theground plane 725, or the signal conductive lines 731 and 733, forexample. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the insulatinglayer 727 may be removed in localized regions in the microstripwaveguide 720 and the coplanar waveguide 730 to configure the gaps 711Aand 711B, thereby allowing for MEMS deflection of the conductive layersand configuring of the height of the resonant cavity. The insulatinglayer 727 may be partially removed between the signal conductive line723 and the ground plane 725 and/or the signal conductive lines 731 and733, or completely removed, for example.

The signal conductive lines 731 and 733, and the signal conductive line723 and the ground plane 725 may define resonant cavities for leaky waveantennas. Each layer may comprise a reflective surface or a partiallyreflective surface depending on the pattern of conductive material. Forexample, a partially reflective surface may be configured by alternatingconductive and insulating material in a 1-dimensional or 2-dimensionalpattern. In this manner, signals may be directed out of, or receivedinto, a surface of the support structure 701, as illustrated with themicrostrip waveguide 720. In another embodiment of the invention,signals may be communicated in the horizontal plane of the supportstructure 701 utilizing the coplanar waveguide 730.

The support structure 701 may provide mechanical support for themicrostrip waveguide 720, the coplanar waveguide 730, and other devicesthat may be integrated within. In another embodiment of the invention,the support structure 701 may comprise Si, GaAs, sapphire, InP, GaO,ZnO, CdTe, CdZnTe, ceramics, polytetrafluoroethylene, and/or Al₂O₃, forexample, or any other substrate material that may be suitable forintegrating microstrip structures.

In operation, a bias and/or a signal voltage may be applied across thesignal conductive line 723 and the ground plane 725, and/or the signalconductive lines 731 and 733. The thickness of a leaky wave antennaresonant cavity may be dependent on the distance between the conductivelines in the microstrip waveguide 720 and/or the coplanar transmissionwaveguide 730.

By alternating patches of conductive material with insulating material,or slots of conductive material in dielectric material, a partiallyreflective surface may result, which may allow a signal to “leak out” inthat direction, as shown by the Leaky Wave arrows in FIG. 7. In thismanner, wireless signals may be directed out of the surface plane of thesupport structure 701, or parallel to the surface.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating wireless communication via leaky waveantennas integrated in a printed circuit board, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 8, there is shown metallayers 801A-801N, solder balls 803, thermal epoxy 807, and leaky waveantennas 809A-809L. The chip 162, the package 167, and the printedcircuit board 171 may be as described previously.

The chip 162, or integrated circuit, may comprise one or more componentsand/or systems within the wireless system 150. The chip 162 may bebump-bonded or flip-chip bonded to the package 167 utilizing the solderballs 803. Similarly, the package 167 may be flip-chip bonded to theprinted circuit board 171. In this manner, wire bonds connecting thechip 162 to the package 167 and the package 167 to the printed circuitboard 171 may be eliminated, thereby reducing and/or eliminatinguncontrollable stray inductances due to wire bonds, for example. Inaddition, the thermal conductance out of the chip 162 may be greatlyimproved utilizing the solder balls 803 and the thermal epoxy 807. Thethermal epoxy 807 may be electrically insulating but thermallyconductive to allow for thermal energy to be conducted out of the chip162 to the much larger thermal mass of the package 167.

The metal layers 801A-801N may comprise deposited metal layers utilizedto delineate leaky wave antennas in and/or on the chip 162, the package167, and the printed circuit board 171. The leaky wave antennas809A-809L may be utilized to communicate signals between devices in thechip 162, the package 167, and the printed circuit board 171 to otherdevices. In addition, the leaky wave antennas 809E, 809H, 809I, and 809Lmay comprise conductive and insulating layers integrated in and/or onthe printed circuit board 171 extending into the cross-sectional viewplane to enable communication of signals horizontally in the plane ofthe printed circuit board 171, as illustrated by the coplanar waveguide730 described with respect to FIG. 7.

In an embodiment of the invention, the spacing between pairs of metallayers, for example 801A and 801B, 801C and 801D, 801E and 801F, and801I and 801J, may define vertical resonant cavities of leaky waveantennas. In this regard, a partially reflective surface, as shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, for example, may enable the resonant electromagnetic modein the cavity to leak out from that surface.

The metal layers 801A-801N may comprise microstrip structures asdescribed with respect to FIG. 7. The region between the metal layers801A-801N may comprise a resistive material that may provide electricalisolation between the metal layers 801A-801F thereby creating a resonantcavity. In an embodiment of the invention, the region between the metallayers 801A-801N may comprise air and/or dielectric material, therebyenabling MEMS actuation of the metal layers 801A-801N.

In an embodiment of the invention, the metal layers 801I-801N maycomprise stacked leaky wave antennas where signals may be communicatedin both an up and down direction, using one or more feed signals. Forexample, the leaky wave antennas 809F and 809G may comprise stackedleaky wave antennas which share the metal layer 801J. In this manner, asingle feed signal may be applied to the metal layer 801J and signalsmay be communicated both upward and downward by the leaky wave antennas809F and 809G, respectively.

The number of metal layers is not limited to the number of metal layers801A-801N shown in FIG. 8. Accordingly, there may be any number oflayers embedded within and/or on the chip 162, the package 167, and/orthe printed circuit board 171, depending on the number of leaky waveantennas, traces, waveguides and other devices fabricated.

The solder balls 803 may comprise spherical balls of metal to provideelectrical, thermal and physical contact between the chip 162, thepackage 167, and/or the printed circuit board 171. In making the contactwith the solder balls 803, the chip 162 and/or the package 167 may bepressed with enough force to squash the metal spheres somewhat, and maybe performed at an elevated temperature to provide suitable electricalresistance and physical bond strength. The thermal epoxy 807 may fillthe volume between the solder balls 803 and may provide a high thermalconductance path for heat transfer out of the chip 162.

In operation, the chip 162 may comprise an RF front end, such as the RFtransceiver 152, described with respect to FIG. 1, and may be utilizedto transmit and/or receive RF signals, at 60 GHz, for example. The chip162 may be electrically coupled to the package 167. The package 167 maybe electrically coupled to the printed circuit board 171. In instanceswhere high frequency signals, 60 GHz or greater, for example, may becommunicated between blocks or regions in the chip 162 and/or to andfrom the chip to external devices, leaky wave antennas may be utilized.

Lower frequency signals may be communicated via leaky wave antennas withlarger resonant cavity heights, such as the leaky wave antennas 809C,809J, and 809K integrated in the printed circuit board 171. However,higher frequency signal signals may also be communicated from leaky waveantennas integrated in the printed circuit board 171 by utilizingcoplanar waveguide leaky wave antennas, such as the leaky wave antennas809E, 809H, 809I, and/or 809L, or by utilizing microstrip waveguideleaky wave antennas with lower cavity heights, such as the leaky waveantennas 809D, 809F, and 809G.

The leaky wave antennas 809E, 809H, 809I, and 809L may comprise coplanarwaveguide structures, for example, and may be operable to communicatewireless signals in the horizontal plane, parallel to the surface of theprinted circuit board 171. In this manner, signal may be communicatedbetween disparate regions of the printed circuit board 171 without theneed to run lossy electrical signal lines. The leaky wave antennas809A-809D, 809F, 809G, 809J, and 809K may comprise microstrip waveguidestructures, for example, that may be operable to wirelessly communicatesignals perpendicular to the plane of the supporting structure, such asthe chip 162, the package 167, and the printed circuit board 171. Inthis manner, wireless signals may be communicated between the chip 162,the package 167, and the printed circuit board 171, and also to devicesexternal to the wireless device 150.

Leaky wave antennas may be operable to communicate wireless signals toand/or from the chip 162 or the package 167 to the printed circuit board171. Leaky wave antennas in the printed circuit board 171 may then beoperable to communicate to other leaky wave antennas in the printedcircuit board 171, such as between the leaky wave antennas 809H and809I. In another embodiment of the invention, coplanar leaky waveantennas, such as the leaky wave antennas 809E and 809L may be operableto communicate signal horizontally out of the printed circuit board 171.

The integration of leaky wave antennas in the chip 162, the package 167,and the printed circuit board 171 may result in the reduction of strayimpedances when compared to wire-bonded connections between structuresas in conventional systems, particularly for higher frequencies, such as60 GHz. In this manner, volume requirements may be reduced andperformance may be improved due to lower losses and accurate control ofimpedances via switches in the chip 162 or on the package 167, forexample.

The integration of leaky wave antennas in the printed circuit board 171may enable a larger range of cavity heights and number of antennas ascompared to the package 167 and the chip 162. In addition, morefabrication techniques may be available for integrating leaky waveantennas in printed circuit boards as compared to ceramic packagesand/or semiconductor chips.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary steps for communicatingvia leaky wave antennas integrated in a printed circuit board, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 9, instep 903 after start step 901, one or more leaky wave antennasintegrated may be configured to communicate wireless signals by couplingto RF power amplifiers of low noise amplifiers, for example. In step905, high frequency signals may be communicated between leaky waveantennas integrated in the chip or package and leaky wave antennas inthe printed circuit board. In step 907, signals may be communicatedbetween devices in the printed circuit board via leaky wave antennasand/or communicated with devices external to the printed circuit board,such as other printed circuit boards and/or devices external to thewireless device. In step 909, in instances where the wireless device isto be powered down, the exemplary steps may proceed to end step 911. Instep 909, in instances where the wireless device 150 is not to bepowered down, the exemplary steps may proceed to step 903 to configurethe leaky wave antenna at a desired frequency.

In an embodiment of the invention, a method and system are disclosed forcommunicating RF signals via one or more leaky wave antennas 164A-164C,400, 420, 600, and 809A-809K in an integrated circuit 162 and/or anintegrated circuit package 167 in a wireless device 150 to one or moreleaky wave antennas 164A-164C, 400, 420, 600, and 809A-809K in a printedcircuit board 171 in the wireless device 150. RF signals may then becommunicated via the one or more leaky wave antennas 164A-164C, 400,420, 600, and 809A-809K in the printed circuit board to devices externalto the wireless device 150. The RF signals may be communicated todevices external to the wireless device 150 via a surface of the printedcircuit board 171. The leaky wave antennas 164A-164C, 400, 420, 600, and809A-809K may be configured to transmit the wireless signals at adesired angle from the surface of the printed circuit board 171. The RFsignals may be communicated between regions within the printed circuitboard 171. The leaky wave antennas 164A-164C, 400, 420, 600, and809A-809K may comprise microstrip waveguides 720 where a cavity heightof the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C, 400, 420, 600, and 809A-809K maybe configured by controlling spacing between conductive lines 723 and725 in the microstrip waveguides 720. The leaky wave antennas 164A-164C,400, 420, 600, and 809A-809K may comprise coplanar waveguides 730 wherea cavity height of the leaky wave antennas 164A-164C, 400, 420, 600, and809A-809K may be configured by controlling spacing between conductivelines 731 and 733 in the coplanar waveguides 730. The integrated circuit162 may be flip-chip-bonded to an integrated circuit package 167 whichmay be affixed to a printed circuit board 171. A pair 809F and 809G, and809J and 809K of the plurality of leaky wave antennas 164A-164C, 400,420, 600, and 809A-809K may be stacked to communicate signals inopposite directions.

Other embodiments of the invention may provide a non-transitory computerreadable medium and/or storage medium, and/or a non-transitory machinereadable medium and/or storage medium, having stored thereon, a machinecode and/or a computer program having at least one code sectionexecutable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machineand/or computer to perform the steps as described herein for wirelesscommunication utilizing leaky wave antennas on a printed circuit board.

Accordingly, aspects of the invention may be realized in hardware,software, firmware or a combination thereof. The invention may berealized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system or ina distributed fashion where different elements are spread across severalinterconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or otherapparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein issuited. A typical combination of hardware, software and firmware may bea general-purpose computer system with a computer program that, whenbeing loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that itcarries out the methods described herein.

One embodiment of the present invention may be implemented as a boardlevel product, as a single chip, application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), or with varying levels integrated on a single chip with otherportions of the system as separate components. The degree of integrationof the system will primarily be determined by speed and costconsiderations. Because of the sophisticated nature of modernprocessors, it is possible to utilize a commercially availableprocessor, which may be implemented external to an ASIC implementationof the present system. Alternatively, if the processor is available asan ASIC core or logic block, then the commercially available processormay be implemented as part of an ASIC device with various functionsimplemented as firmware.

The present invention may also be embedded in a computer programproduct, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation ofthe methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer systemis able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the presentcontext may mean, for example, any expression, in any language, code ornotation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having aninformation processing capability to perform a particular functioneither directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversionto another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a differentmaterial form. However, other meanings of computer program within theunderstanding of those skilled in the art are also contemplated by thepresent invention.

While the invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited tothe particular embodiments disclosed, but that the present inventionwill include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appendedclaims.

1. A method for communication, the method comprising: in a wirelessdevice comprising a plurality of leaky wave antennas, wherein one ormore of said plurality of leaky wave antennas are integrated in anintegrated circuit and one or more of said plurality of leaky waveantennas are integrated in a printed circuit board: communicating RFsignals from said one or more of said plurality of leaky wave antennasintegrated in said integrated circuit to said one or more of saidplurality of leaky wave antennas integrated in said printed circuitboard; and communicating said RF signals from said one or more of saidplurality of leaky wave antennas integrated in said printed circuitboard to devices external to said wireless device.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1, comprising communicating said RF signals todevices external to said wireless device via a surface of said printedcircuit board.
 3. The method according to claim 2, comprisingconfiguring said one or more of said plurality of leaky wave antennasintegrated in said printed circuit board to transmit said wirelesssignals at a desired angle from said surface of said printed circuitboard.
 4. The method according to claim 1, comprising communicating saidRF signals between regions within said printed circuit board.
 5. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein one or more of said plurality ofleaky wave antennas comprise microstrip waveguides.
 6. The methodaccording to claim 5, comprising configuring a cavity height of said oneor more of said plurality of leaky wave antennas by controlling spacingbetween conductive lines in said microstrip waveguides.
 7. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein one or more of said plurality of leakywave antennas comprise coplanar waveguides.
 8. The method according toclaim 7, comprising configuring a cavity height of said one or more ofsaid plurality of leaky wave antennas by controlling spacing betweenconductive lines in said coplanar waveguides.
 9. The method according toclaim 1, comprising communicating said RF signals from said one or moreof said plurality of leaky wave antennas integrated in said integratedcircuit to one or more leaky wave antennas in an integrated circuitpackage to which said integrated circuit is flip-chip bonded beforecommunicating said RF signals to said one or more of said plurality ofleaky wave antennas integrated in said printed circuit board.
 10. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein a pair plurality of leaky waveantennas are stacked to communicate wireless signals in oppositedirections.
 11. A system for enabling communication, the systemcomprising: one or more circuits for use in a wireless device comprisinga plurality of leaky wave antennas, wherein one or more of saidplurality of leaky wave antennas are integrated in an integrated circuitand one or more of said plurality of leaky wave antennas are integratedin a printed circuit board: said one or more circuits are operable tocommunicate RF signals from said one or more of said plurality of leakywave antennas integrated in said integrated circuit to said one or moreof said plurality of leaky wave antennas integrated in said printedcircuit board; and said one or more circuits are operable to communicatesaid RF signals from said one or more of said plurality of leaky waveantennas integrated in said printed circuit board to devices external tosaid wireless device.
 12. The system according to claim 11, wherein saidone or more circuits are operable to communicate said RF signals todevices external to said wireless device via a surface of said printedcircuit board.
 13. The system according to claim 12, wherein said one ormore circuits are operable to configure said one or more of saidplurality of leaky wave antennas integrated in said printed circuitboard to transmit said wireless signals at a desired angle from saidsurface of said printed circuit board.
 14. The system according to claim11, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to communicate saidRF signals between regions within said printed circuit board.
 15. Thesystem according to claim 11, wherein said leaky wave antennas comprisemicrostrip waveguides.
 16. The system according to claim 15, whereinsaid one or more circuits are operable to configure a cavity height ofsaid one or more of said plurality of leaky wave antennas by controllingspacing between conductive lines in said microstrip waveguides.
 17. Thesystem according to claim 11, wherein said leaky wave antennas comprisecoplanar waveguides.
 18. The system according to claim 17, wherein saidone or more circuits are operable to configure a cavity height of saidone or more of said plurality of leaky wave antennas by controllingspacing between conductive lines in said coplanar waveguides.
 19. Thesystem according to claim 11, wherein said one or more circuits areoperable to communicate said RF signals from said one or more of saidplurality of leaky wave antennas integrated in said integrated circuitto one or more leaky wave antennas in an integrated circuit package towhich said integrated circuit is flip-chip bonded before communicatingsaid RF signals to said one or more of said plurality of leaky waveantennas integrated in said printed circuit board.
 20. The systemaccording to claim 11, wherein a pair plurality of leaky wave antennasare stacked to communicate wireless signals in opposite directions.